Things to do: Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

Last Saturday morning, I got up early and headed down to Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair at the Bristol Paintworks location. After paying my £2 entry fee, I spent a good hour or so rummaging through the rails, although the main reason I went was to catch up with my friend Vix and her partner Jon who run Kinky Melon's Retro Boutique. They have an amazing stock of vintage and their stall looked fantastic-testament to this was that I hardly had time to chat to them as they were so busy! I did, however, find the time to pick up this incredible sheepskin coat, practically brand new and complete with dry cleaning label from 1987 which was exactly what I had been looking for!

Vintage fairs can be quite intimidating if you've never been to one before but the traders are generally just lovely. I spoke to a really sweet girl who was trading there with her boyfriend and she couldn't have been nicer; obviously Vix and Jon are amazing and there were loads of friendly faces all around the room. Prices started from around a fiver so there were plenty of bargains to be had, and if vintage clothes aren't your bag there were lots of other items such as accessories, shoes and jewellery to look at.

I would definitely advise attending a fair with an open mind, as there is usually a huge amount of choice! However, it's a good idea to have a few ideas of things that you want to get so that you can search through the items with a bit of clarity. I knew I really wanted to get a new sheepskin as mine was munched by moths over the winter so that was on my hit list, I was also on the lookout for a leather skirt but I didn't have any luck finding that. I have a few more vintage fairs lined up to attend over the next few weeks so hopefully I'll find one at one of those!

Following on from yesterday's post about sustainable and ethical fashion, I think that vintage fairs are really useful starting points if you are looking to introduce more vintage and second hand items to your wardrobe, especially if you are not so keen on charity shopping. Affordable fairs in particular enable you to try out a few different styles with a lower investment than buying from vintage boutiques or specialist stores.